sabato 21 luglio 2012

Lorenzo Allegri (1567 – 1648) was an Italian composer, who worked at the Medici court, in Florence. He was mainly known as a lutenist, and for lute he wrote dances, sometimes with vocal parts. He was sometimes referred to as Lorenzino Todesco so it may be assumed he was of German origin. (Wikipedia)

If we speak about the late works of Jan Dismas Zelenka, we usually refer to his fascinating last masses, oratorios or litanies, which have today finally gained the attention and acclaim they so fully deserve. With sacred music always being the focal point of Zelenka's work, the violone playing composer who was born in Bohemia was eventually appointed Kirchen Compositeur in 1735 after having spent over twenty years as “the most humble and loyal servant” at the royal court in Dresden. Still, among his late works we also find the Serenata ZWV 177 from 1737, another major work, which, thanks to the newly discovered printed libretto, now has a title Il Diamante. It was one of the few secular vocal compositions, possibly also the last, Zelenka wrote for the Dresden court, and crowns his work as a music dramatist. (more in the booklet)

"Thomas Baltzar is a little-known German violinist and composer who is getting a well-deserved airing in this new premiere recording...This CD represents his complete output of unaccompanied violin music, and is also the first-ever recording of this once-innovative music. What’s so striking about the pieces is their early use of polyphony. One immediately thinks of Bach when hearing the pieces; though composed around 1660, 25 years before Bach’s birth, it’s almost as if they are primitive strains of his writing. Baltzar’s compositions stand out for their early use of double-stops and scordatura... British-Mexican violinist Patrick Wood thoughtfully plays the works. His tone is even, pure, and warm, and his intonation is spot-on. His light, gentle playing adds just the right shimmer to the simple beauty of each short piece."